repartée

repartée (countable and uncountable, plural repartées)

1. Alternative spelling of repartee
   • 1832, “Journal of Conversations with Lord Byron, by the Countess of Blessington”, in The New Monthly Magazine and Literary Journal, volume XXXV, part II, London: Published for Henry Colburn by Richard Bentley, , page 524:

     In what country but England could the epigrammatic repartées and spiritual anecdotes of a Jekyll have flourished?

   • 1855, Sarah Josepha Hale, “Third Era”, in Women’s Record; or, Sketches of all Distinguished Women, from the Creation to A. D. 1854. , 2nd edition, New York: Harper & Brothers, , “113. LENCLOS, ANNE or NINON DE”, page 390, column 1:

     She was quite famous for her conversational powers and talents for repartée.

   • 1865 September, “Reminiscences of the Court and Times of the Emperor Paul I. of Russia”, in Fraser’s Magazine for Town and Country, volume LXXII, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., page 325, column 1:

     Some very sharp and cutting repartées passed after dinner, amongst others that of Admiral Tchitschagoff to General Ouvaroff, related in a preceding page.

   • 1874, Henrietta Keddie, “Chapter I. An Old Queen’s Drawing-Room”, in Lady Bell. A Story of Last Century, Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., page 4:

     “No heart can resist her when she smiles and tries her repartée, even in this presence,” said Lady Lucie. “A power of repartée is a great thing, girl; it becomes a fine woman better than diamonds. […]”

   • 1956, Elizabeth Stevenson Ives, Hildegarde Dolson, My Brother Adlai, New York: William Morrow & Company, page 8:

     Although she and Father were opposites in so many ways, when it came to repartée and telling stories, they were like a brilliantly matched tennis team.

   • 1965, The New Mexico Quarterly, volume 35, pages 112–113:

     There are the repartées, the verbal pirouettes of the servant gagsters.

   • 1983, Edward Hewett, William F. Axton, Convivial Dickens: The Drinks of Dickens and His Times, Ohio University Press, →ISBN, page 20:

     A popular house of assignation was kept in Coventry Street by “Mother” Kate Hamilton, in her youth a much-sought-after courtesan; half the male clientele came there just to hob-nob with the obese patronne and exchange blue-violet repartée with her and the company.

   • 1987, Joseph Boskin, “Beyond Kvetching and Jiving: The Thrust of Jewish and Black Folkhumor”, in Sarah Blacher Cohen, editor, Jewish Wry: Essays on Jewish Humor, Wayne State University Press, →ISBN, page 72:

     Thomas Pettigrew offered the idea that the repartées are endurance tests that provide training for a lifetime of insult, while John Dollard suggested that the function of this form is to operate as a release mechanism for the anxieties of Black children.

   • 1994, Keith Garebian, The Making of Gypsy, ECW Press, →ISBN, page 121:

     But with Zan Charisse now playing Louise, the chatter worked, as the actress kept making repartée with her clothes on.

repartée (third-person singular simple present repartées, present participle repartéeing, simple past and past participle repartéed)

1. Alternative spelling of repartee
   • 1979, Earl M. Simmons, Eagle Spree, Vantage Press, page 42:

     Yet from the long view of life / a certain depth emerges of continued growth / yielding some recompense to repartée / and the oft dichotomous personalization / becomes as fulfilling as a trampoline / to the boring tranquillity of sameness.

   • 1990, Jessie Gresham Zapffe, Dark Places, Light Places: A Novel of Love—and Grace, Sunfire Productions, →ISBN, page 156:

     There was a small silence, until the vacuum created by his exit had been filled, and then Monsieur Brigaud jumped at the opportunity to repartée with his hostess once again.

   • 2004, Lenny Kaye, You Call it Madness: The Sensuous Song of the Croon, Villard Books, →ISBN, pages 98–99:

     It’s more a showcase for Rinker and Barris’s fancy repartéeing than Bing’s vocal and cymbal interjections, Crosby hardly getting a word in edgewise.

   • 2006, Kamalini Sengupta, The Top of the Raintree, IndiaInk, →ISBN, page 129:

     Surjeet Shona was quick to repartée, ‘But even Buddha set under the shelter of the Bo tree. Can’t the verandah be your Bo tree?’

• peartree, pear tree, rerepeat, rape tree, repeater, Pear Tree